Keyboard mechanism for typographical composing machine



M 17,1955 J. H. HILPMAN 2,708,505

KEYBOARD MECHANISM FOR TYPOGRAPHICAL COMPOSING MACHINE Filed April 10, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet l \LLHHHHIHIHHHIIIIIIHHIIW INVENTOR W 7% @MMWATTORNEYS 1955 J. H. HILPMAN 2,708,505

KEYBOARD MECHANISM FOR TYPOGRAPHICAL COMPOSING MACHINE Filed April 10, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR WATTORNEYJ I y 1955 J. H. HILPMAN 2,708,505

KEYBOARD MECHANISM FOR TYPOGRAPHICAL COMPOSING MACHINE Filed April 10, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 E JK- BV YW FMCULDRHSNIOATEN098 KGBVPYWFMCULDRHSNIOATEJE'0987654321 KEYBOARD R LECHANISM FOR TYPOGRAPHICAL (IOMPOSING MACHINE John H. Hilpman, Springfield Gardens, N. Y., assignor to Mergenthaler Linotype Company, a corporation of New York Application April 10, 1951, Serial No. 220,256 4 Claims. (Cl. 199-18) This invention relates to typographical composing machines, such as Linotype machines of the general organization represented in U. S. Letters Patent to O. Mergenthaler, No. 436,532, wherein circulating matrices are released from a magazine in the order in which they are to appear in print and then assembled in line, the composed line transferred to the face of a slotted mold, the mold filled with molten metal to form a slug or type bar against the matrices, and the matrices thereafter returned through a distributing mechanism to the magazine from which they started.

More particularly, this invention is applicable to machines equipped with a main bank of magazines as well as an auxiliary bank of magazines. Generally, separate keyboards are provided for the main and auxiliary banks of magazines, and, in each case, the keyboard is connected by means of long vertical reeds to the escapement mechanism of the operative magazine. The operator usually occupies a position seated in front of the main keyboard, and the auxiliary keyboard is arranged at an angle extending toward the operator for his convenience.

Since the auxiliary magazines frequently handle the wider matrices, such as are used in advertising or display work, the keys of the keyboard are spaced closer together than the long vertical reeds which connect them with the escapement mechanism of the magazines. In other words, many of the vertical reeds, particularly the remote reeds at either extremity, are laterally removed with respect to their corresponding key operated slides. Heretofore, and as shown in U. S. Letters Patent to D. S. Kennedy, No. 1,347,746 and U. S. Letters Patent to H. A. Burt, No. 2,085,143, the keyboards have been provided with a rather intricate system of intermediate rocking bails, commonly referred to as a bail box, which connect each of the actuating slides with its corresponding escapement activating reed.

In accordance with the present invention, this complex bail box arrangement has been eliminated and replaced by a greatly simplified system of motion transmitting members which will be hereinafter described in detail. It is noteworthy that this simplified mechanism eifects appreciable savings in material and labor, results in decreased cost of manufacture, and, in addition, provides much greater accessibility to the parts.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. l is a front elevation of the assembling portion of a typographical machine of the variety having main and auxiliary magazines with separate keyboards;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken through the auxiliary keyboard as equipped with the present invention and showing the operative connections with the magazine;

Fig. 3 is a detailed perspective view of one of the operative key connections shown in Fig. 2; and

Figs. 4 and 5 are a top plan view and a rear elevation, respectively, of the improved keyboard connections.

The matrices of the regular fonts are stored in a series of main magazines 1, and the release of the matrices there from is controlled by the main keyboard 2 which, as usual,

2,708,505 Patented May 17, 1955 effects the operation of the escapement devices associated with the magazine located in operative position through a series of cam yokes operated from a power-driven roll 3. As the matrices are released, they pass through a channeled raceway or assembler entrance 4 onto a conveyor belt 5 which delivers them to the customary assembler (not shown), wherein they are composed in line prior to presentation to the mold.

The matrices of the auxiliary fonts are stored in a series of auxiliary magazines 6 arranged at the side of or in tandem with the main magazines and are released therefrom by the operation of the auxiliary keyboard 7. When released from the auxiliary magazines, the matrices pass through a shorter channeled raceway (hidden by the cover plate 8) onto the conveyor belt 5, which, as shown in Fig. 1, extends to the right of the main portion of the machine where it is horizontally disposed along the discharge end of the said raceway.

These auxiliary magazines 6 have their grooved channels more widely separated than those of the main magazines in order to accommodate the larger matrices which they are intended to contain, each magazine being provided with thirty-four different matrix channels. As best shown in Fig. 2, each auxiliary magazine 6 is equipped with its own escapement devices, generally denoted by the reference numeral 9, which are actuated from a bank of long vertical reeds 1% corresponding in number to and spaced apart at the same distance as the matrix channels in the magazines. The actuating reeds are arranged for limited vertical movement in a frame 11 and are adapted to be individually operated by pivoted cam yokes 12 which are themselves arranged in a bank directly underlying the reeds 10. The yokes are provided with cams or eccentrics 13 adapted, under the influence of trip dogs or triggers 14, to cooperate with a horizontally disposed power-driven roll 15 in the well known way; that is to say, the operation of a selected trip dog releases the yoke 12 and permits the cam 13 to engage the constantly rotating roll to thereby actuate the vertical reed associated therewith. After the release of each matrix, the respective trip dog is reset for further operation in the usual manner.

The release of the trip dogs 14 is controlled by the operation of corresponding finger keys or key levers 16. As explained above, the auxiliary keyboard 7 extends at an angle toward the operator, so as to be readily accessible to him. The key levers 16 are pivotally mounted at their centers, or thereabouts, on long supporting rods 17 extending transversely of the keyboard and fixed at their ends in the side plates thereof. Six such pivot rods are provided, each rod giving support to one horizontal row of key levers. The key levers are adapted to operate a bank of vertically movable slides 18 by engaging one of the six notches thereof, depending upon which level the particular key lever occupies. The slides 18 are arranged side by side in a line and are guided in their upward and downward vertical movements in individual slots of upper and lower comb plates 19, 20, respectively, the upper guide plate 19 being mounted on a horizontal supporting bar 21 which is supported at opposite ends by the frame members 22, and the lower guide plate 20 being connected directly to the lower ends of said frame members. It is noted that the supporting bar 21 for the upper guide plate is cut away sufliciently to prevent interference with the operation of the slides 18.

As best shown in Fig. 3, the slides 18 are limited in their upward and downward movements by lower and upper shoulders 18 and 18 thereon. The lower shoulders 18 normally rest in the lowermost position of the.

slides on the lower plate 20, whereas in the actuated positions of the slides, the upper shoulders 18 contact the upper guide plate 19. Obviously, therefore, the slots of both guide plates 19 and 20 should be limited in length to accommodate only the reduced extremities of said slides so that the amount of movement can be efifectively controlled.

The vertical movements of the slides 18 are transmitted to the trip dogs 14 through a series of laterally bent members 23 which, at their lower ends, are pinned or otherwise suitably attached to the slides 13. These members 23 are arranged in transverse alignment in a bank disposed rearwardly of the slides 13 except for the lower vertical end portions 23 which are offset in a forward edgewise direction for attachment to the side faces of the slides 18; and, as shown in Fig. 5, those members at the right side of the keyboard (as viewed from the back of the machine) are bent laterally to the right, while those at the left side of the keyboard are bent laterally to the left. The upper vertical end portions 23 of the members 23, are operatively connected with the trip dogs id and are guided in slots of a third horizontal comb plate 24 which, like the bar 21, is supported at opposite ends by the frame members 22.

Although all of the upright laterally bent motion transmitting members 23 are aligned transversely, the clearance or spacing between adjacent members is ample to permit the bent or diagonal portions to operate without interference with each other. In order to hold to a minimum the angles to which the members 23 must be bent, so as not to unduly weaken the material, their lower vertical end portions 23 are attached to the slides 18 at the same side or surface toward which they are bent, although, of course, the members 23 could be made integrally with the slides if that should be desirable from a manufacturing standpoint.

Traditionally the letter I has occupied a position on the auxiliary keyboard which differs, in respect to the other characters, from the position which its corresponding storage channel in the magazine occupies in respect to the other storage channels. Therefore, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the slide 18, which is controlled from the key lever reserved for the letter J, is operatively connected to the appropriate trip dog or trigger 14 by means of a long extension member 25 which extends diagonally behind the other trigger releasing members 23 and, like those members, is formed with a vertical upper end portion 25, to cooperate with the corresponding trip dog 14.

This invention has been shown and described in preferred form only, and obviously many variations and modifications may be made therein and in its mode of application which will still be comprised within its spirit. It is to be understood, therefore, that the invention is not to be limited to any specific form or embodiment, except insofar as such limitations are specified in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a keyboard mechanism for typographical cornposing machines, the combination of a series of finger keys arranged in a plurality of rows at different levels, a corresponding series of straight vertical closely spaced actuating slides arranged in transverse alignment and having direct connection with the respective finger keys, a corresponding series of more widely spaced power driven cam yokes, trip dogs underlying the cam yokes and arranged in transverse alignment at the rear of the actuating slides, and upright diagonally disposed motion transmitting members arranged in transverse alignment with the trip dogs and supported by the corresponding actuating slides, said members being directly connected at their upper ends to the respective trip dogs and having forwardly offset lower end portions attached directly and rigidly to the corresponding actuating slides, the points of attachment of said lower end portions to the actuating slides being located at a common level near the lower ends of the slides to permit said upright diagonally disposed members to stand side by side and to be actuated without interference with one another.

2. In a keyboard mechanism for typographical composing machines, the combination of a series of finger keys arranged in a plurality of rows at different levels, a corresponding series of straight vertical closely spaced actuating slides arranged in transverse alignment and having direct connection with the respective finger keys, a corresponding series of more widely spaced power driven cam yokes, trip dogs underlying the cam yokes and arranged in transverse alignment at the rear of the actuating slides, and upright diagonally disposed motion transmitting members arranged in transverse alignment with the trip dogs and supported by the corresponding actuating slides, said members having vertical upper end portions directly connected to the respective trip dogs and forwardly offset vertical lower end portions attached directly and rigidly to the side faces of the corresponding actuating slides, the points of attachment of said lower end portions to the actuating slides being located at a common level near the lower ends of the slides to permit said upright diagonally disposed members to stand side by side and to be actuated without interference with one another.

3. in a keyboard mechanism for typographical composing machines, the combination of a series of finger keys arranged in a plurality of rows at different levels, a corresponding series of straight vertical closely spaced actuating slides arranged in transverse alignment and having direct connection with the respective finger keys, means for guiding the slides at their upper and lower ends, a corresponding series of more widely spaced power driven cam yokes, trip dogs underlying the cam yokes and arranged in transverse alignment at the rear of the actuating slides, upright diagonally disposed motion transmitting members arranged in transverse alignment with the trip dogs and supported by the corresponding actuating slides, said members having vertical upper end portions directly connected to the respective trip dogs and forwardly offset vertical lower end portions attached directly and rigidly to the side faces of the corresponding actuating slides, the points of attachment of said lower end portions to the actuating slides being located at a common level near the lower ends of the slides to permit said upright diagonally disposed members to stand side by side and to be actuated without interference with one another, and additional means for guiding the upper vertical end portions of the motion transmitting members.

4. A keyoperated trip dog actuating device for keyboard mechanisms of typographical composing machines, said device comprising a straight vertical slide having means of direct connection to the ke a branch member for transmitting motion from the key-actuated slide to the trip dog, said branch member having a lower vertical end portion parallel to and attached directly and rigidly to the side face of the slide near the lower end thereof for support thereby and having an upper vertical end guide portion located parallel to the slide but displaced both laterally and edgewise from the slide, said upper end guide portion having means of direct connection to the trip dog, and an intermediate diagonally extending body portion integral with the joining them together notwithstanding their lateral and edgewise displacement.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 888,786 Converse May 26, 1908 1,154,057 Rogers Sept. 21, 1915 1,347,744 Kennedy July 27, 1920 1,390,550 Smith Sept. 13, 1921 1,651,095 McNamara Nov. 29, 1927 2,085,143 Burt June 29, 1937 two vertical end portions and 

